DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-027, February 12, 2005
Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING
edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com
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NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1263:
Sun 0330 WOR WWCR 5070
Sun 0400 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB
Sun 0430 WOR WRMI 6870
Sun 0730 WOR WWCR 3210
Sun 0930 WOR WRN1 to North America, also WLIO-TV Lima OH SAP
Sun 0930 WOR KSFC Spokane WA 91.9
Sun 0930 WOR WXPN Rhinelander WI 91.7 91.9 100.9
Sun 0930 WOR WDWN Auburn NY 89.1 [unconfirmed]
Sun 0930 WOR KTRU Houston TX 91.7 [occasional]
Sun 1030 WOR WRMI 9955
Sun 1100 WOR RNI [archive]
Sun 1100 WOR R. Lavalamp
Sun 1400 WOR KRFP-LP Moscow ID 92.5
Sun 1500 WOR R. Lavalamp
Sun 2000 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55
Sun 2100 WOR RNI
Mon 0330 WOR WRMI 6870
Mon 0400 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB
Mon 0430 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 [week delay]
Mon 0530 WOR WBCQ 7415
Mon 0900 WOR R. Lavalamp
Mon 1100 WOR RNI [archive]
Mon 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours
Tue 0700 WOR WPKN Bridgeport CT 89.5
Tue 1000 WOR WRMI 9955
Tue 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours
Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9985
Wed 1100 WOR RNI [archive]
Wed 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours
MORE info including audio links: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
WRN ONDEMAND:
http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24
OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]
WORLD OF RADIO 1263 (high version):
(stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1263h.ram
(download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1263h.rm
WORLD OF RADIO 1263 (low version):
(stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1263.ram
(download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1263.rm
(summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1263.html
WORLD OF RADIO 1263 in the true shortwave sound of 7415:
(stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_02-09-05.m3u
(d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_02-09-05.mp3
** AUSTRIA. 6015 for AWR German 1600-1630 will be kept for the
remainder of B04, and again a 49 metre frequency used for this
transmission in A05. This according to AWR's Lothar Klepp (Kai Ludwig,
Germany, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. En los
últimos días ha llovido mucho por acá y el Estado Vargas ha sido
declarado en emergencia. Afortunadamente Catia La Mar no ha sido tan
golpeada por la naturaleza; tales vacaciones imprevistas me han puesto
al frente de mi receptor, una vez más.
Gracias a la ausencia por unos minutos de Radio Ibitinga, pude captar
el 09/02 a las 2349 UT, la señal de una tal Radio Municipal de (?),
que emitía desde ¿Catavi?, [Caranavi --- gh] La Paz. Mencionaba las
frecuencias de 96.9 MHz y 4845 kHz. Captada en los 4845.11 con buena
señal, hasta la reaparición de la brasilera en el mismo canal, minutos
después (Adán González, Catia La Mar, Estado Vargas, VENEZUELA, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. I wonder what happened to RCI today [Sunday Feb 6]. I
usually listen to the Mailbag on the 2100 UT transmission to Europe,
but today there was a problem. I checked it for the whole hour,
including their other three frequencies, in French. Here`s what I
found:
English to Europe
5850 -- weak, but correct programming [Sweden relay as I recall - gh]
9770 -- Carrier came on several minutes after the hour. It was
strong, with continuous upbeat music; no talking
French to Africa
7235 -- Very weak, French, probably correct programming; lots of
interference
9565 -- covered by R. Martí
11845 -- strong, same music, parallel with 9770
Then, shortly after 2200 UT, I checked the RCI frequencies again.
Everything I was able to hear was normal, with one exception:
English to the Americas
15180 –- same upbeat music; no talking
That`s a four-hour transmission; the first three in English, the last
one in French. That same music stayed on right through the French
portion too. Maybe the guys at Sackville were too busy setting up
their Super Bowl party. Anyhow, in this case, let`s hope they *don`t*
JKDI! (Pete Bentley, NY, Feb 6, by P-mail, retyped by gh for DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Already explained in recent issues, and Pete will have heard about it
on WOR 1263, but P-mail contributions equally deserve to be published,
ASAP. O o, Feb 12 at 0621, RKI relay --- er, KBS Mundial on 6045 in
Spanish vanished, so they are still having problems. Fortunately this
only lasted 3 minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6175, 12/2. Voz de Vietnam, 0400-0406, noticias, saludan a la
primavera, mala modulación, SINPO 24322 (José Miguel Romero, Spain,
Noticias DX via DXLD)
Bill Westenhaver mentioned a failure of the ´´Bell circuit´´ to
Sackville. Does this mean landline? But according to
http://hawkins.pair.com/rci1.shtml the Canadian Anik satellite system
is in use to feed Sackville, and the satellite dishes portrayed there
are aiming at two different positions, presumably of today's Anik F1
and Anik F2 birds. No mention of radio feeds at Lyngsat (only the CBC
TV feeds on Anik F1, in the professional 4:2:2 format and additionally
encrypted although 4:2:2 cannot be received with consumer equipment
anyway), but who knows what system is in use; Lyngsat also doesn't
know anything about the German APT-X links on Eurobird, used also to
feed Nauen if I recall correct. Be that as it may, it is indeed
surprising that they are able to play out music fills but not to make
do with call-up connections (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 12, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
The ``Bell circuit`` could well be on the satellites; however, since
the repairs had to be made at Sackville, it could be just a
distribution system inside the plant? (gh)
** CHINA. 3280, Voice of Pujiang, 1200-1217. Noted both a man and
woman in Chinese comments this morning. Signal at 1207 is still very
weak compared to reception on Feb 11 when it was fair around this
time. The format of the program seems to be news with recorded
segments here and there. Station's signal quality remained at
threshold level with final evaluation at 1217 in Clewiston, Florida
(Chuck Bolland, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA. Feb 12, 0400-0500, 6140, Colombia. I'm hearing "R. Líder"
which is probably being relayed (?) by R. Melodía, which is listed
here. Compared an old ID tape from 2003 on the HCDX site and very
similar- tones at ID, usage of "730 kilociclos" and definite "R.
Líder" IDs after every song, which were soft Latin pops. Also mention
of "estéreo". Do they have an FM outlet? Good signal, some splatter
(John Cereghin, Smyrna, DE, FRG-7 with 175' longwire, HCDX via DXLD)
Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. Reactivada el
12/02, a las 0211 UT, la antigua Melodía 730 AM, Bogotá, Colombia, en
los 6139.73 kHz. Ahora se identifica como Radio Líder 730 AM, HJCU.
Transmitía el programa de peticiones musicales "Discoteca Automática".
SINPO 33433. Con noticiero a las 0304. Sin embargo, la emisora aún se
identifica como filial de la Cadena Melodía de Colombia. Programa
"Cita Romántica" a las 0328. Escuchada promoción donde se citaba que
las frecuencias de AM y FM del circuito tenían una potencia de ¡100 kW
cada una! ¿No es un poco exagerada esa potencia en modulación de
frecuencia? ¿Serán irradiados? Vale acotar que hace casi un año ya
había comentado acerca de la supresión del nombre "Melodía", de la
identificación de 730 AM. El cambio a la denominación "Líder" ahora me
da la razón. 73s y buen DX (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
So that explains it. An effective radiated power of 100 kW on FM is
standard in much of the US, so it`s quite possible in Colombia (gh)
** COLOMBIA. Señal de 6010 kHz, La Voz de tu Conciencia, captada en
los 5810.81 kHz, con señal muy débil, a las 0031 UT. 08/02. 73s y buen
DX (Adán González, Catia La Mar, Estado Vargas, VENEZUELA, DX
LISTENING DIGEST) That 6010v/5910v leapfrog mixing product (gh)
Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. Me ha llamado mucho
la atención la extraña frecuencia de Marfil Estéreo (88.8 MHz). Que yo
sepa, los canales de FM en Norteamérica y Suramérica no tienen esa
secuencia. Debería ser 88.7 ó 88.9 MHz. En París es donde he visto ese
tipo de frecuencias y creo que en toda Europa es así, pero en América
es diferente. ¿Podría alguien explicar eso? ¿Será que se estila dar
ese tipo de canales en Colombia? 73s y buen DX (Adán González, Catia
La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I think it`s up to each country, not an hemispherical requirement,
whether to authorize ``even`` frequencies. Checking the very
incomplete FM section under COLOMBIA (just for Bogotá) in WRTH 2005 on
page 173, I see some other even channels mentioned, altho most of them
are ``odd``. Perhaps this is done on an ad-hoc basis to squeeze in
more stations or reduce interference? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CUBA. Según informan en Radio Habana, están realizando emisiones de
prueba hacia España y Portugal por los 11800 desde las 2000 a 2300;
estas pruebas que están relizando no son con la antena deseada, ya que
la otra fue destruida por un huracán (Charlie). De todas maneras nos
piden si podemos reportar desde la península alguna escucha por esta
frecuencia. Adjunto mensaje del profesor Arnaldo Coco [sic]. (José
Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Feb 11, Noticias DX via
DXLD)
Saludos: Acabo de regresar de Alemania, donde asisti al evento
transmediale 2005. Estamos transmitiendo ahora para Europa en pruebas,
utilizando 11800 Khz desde las 20.00 a las 23.00. Trata de ver si
copias algo, pues ya recibí el primer reporte de España con un SINPO
que termina en 3, lo que quiere decir que al menos se oye algo. La
antena que estamos usando no es la que dirige emisiones al
Mediterráneo, ya que la misma la destruyó el huracán que pasó por acá
en Agosto del 2004 y todavía no se ha podido reconstruir. Muchas
gracias por tu atenta colaboración. Hasta pronto, Arnaldo (via José
Miguel Romero, Noticias DX via DXLD)
[Later:] 11800, 11/2 R. Habana Cuba, 2201-2226, Noticiero
internacional, ID "Esto [sic] es Radio Habana....", conversa
telefónica con Chávez, SINPO 44444 (Romero, ibid.)
El Profesor Arnaldo Coro, de R. Habana nos ha proporcionado unas
frecuencias y unos horarios de prueba, con el fin de monitorizarla.
Estas son las 11760, 11800 y 12000 en horarios de emision desde 2100-
2300; estas emisiones las están realizando con la cortina pequeña que
opera de 12 a 22 Mhz ya que la cortina grande, que opera desde 6 a 12
Mhz, ésta averiada desde el pasado dia 12 de Agosto, por causa del
huracán Charlie (José Miguel Romero, Feb 12, radioescutas via DXLD)
So are they still using 13660 too for this transmission, with whatever
antenna? See also MEXICO [non] (gh)
** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Radio Amanecer, la única onda corta activa en
República Dominicana, escuchada en los 6024.97 kHz, el 06/02, a las
1918 UT. Charla religiosa. SINPO 34433. ID: "Radio Amanecer, la voz de
la esperanza (...)".(Adán González, Catia La Mar, Estado Vargas,
VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. Two new short wave China made transmitters 50 kW
each have been installed recently. Radio Malabo and Radio Bata use
the frequencies of 5005 and 6250 kHz respectively. In the interim,
after a long absence, the religious Christian Radio Africa 2 has got
on the air again and was received in Sofia at 12 hours on 15190 kHz
announcing that it also uses the frequency of 7190 kHz (Rumen Pankov,
R. Bulgaria DX program Feb 11, via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD)
** FINLAND. Please correct! The report about YLE in your Feb 10 issue
seems to be based on press reports printed in June 2004. It is
embarrassing that you distribute quotes from me and Mr Peltonen,
without saying that you quote Finnish newspapers from June 2004. The
reference to "matters to be taken up in the autumn" meant last autumn.
No such decisions were taken. As for the future, YLE will be looking
into the future options in due course. A considerable consumer
campaign in favour of SW (in Finnish and Swedish for Finnish nationals
abroad) has been underway all autumn and winter. On Tuesday the
campaigners gave a memo signed by 15 thousand expat listeners to the
chairman of the parliamentary controllers of YLE. Whatever happens, Mr
Hauser, quotes from last June are outdated and should not be issued as
fresh. Regards (Juhani Niinistö, YLE, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
It did look rather familiar, but since it was just posted Feb 9 at
Media Network I assumed it was a new story; no date or direct link to
newspaper Helsingin Sanomat was given. Presumably Andy Sennitt also
thought it was a new story. Glad to hear of the campaign to save your
SW (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Just to clarify, we ran the story on 9 February after seeing a link to
the story on Google News. The same story was published on 10 February
by BBC Monitoring, attributed to "Helsingin Sanomat web site,
Helsinki, in English 10 Feb 05." So it was apparently online there for
at least 24 hours. Occasionally, due to human error or software
problems, old stories can get re-published. I have now removed the
story from the Weblog (Andy Sennitt, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) and
added this one:
Mr Niinistö provided us with this summary of the current situation:
Since June 2004 there has been public discussion about the future of
international free-to-air radio in Finland. The major organization
representing Finnish nationals abroad (Suomi-Seura, Finland Society)
has underlined the view that reception of free-to-air radio from
Finland is a "subjective" right of the expats. The organization,
headed by former foreign minister and Labour Party chairman, Mr Pertti
Paasio, has worked intensely on the matter. For example, they had some
30-thousand copies of a leaflet printed focusing on the cost to the
consumer of a) SW b) mobile phone internet and c) satellite services.
Last week, Finland Society handed in a petition representing some 15
thousand Finnish expatriates, to the chairman of the Parliamentary
controllers of YLE, MP Mika Lintila. In public, the issue has become
mainly a discussion of the high cost to the consumer of the use of
mobile internet. Commenting on the matter on air (YLE Radio News, in
Finnish, Feb 8th, 1400 GMT) Mr Lintila said that mobile phone
internet, in its present form, probably cannot replace radio via
shortwave.
YLE has taken so far no decisions about the future of its SW. The
current agreement concerning distribution with Digita/TDF runs out at
the end of 2006. The popularity of Radio Finland amongst expats may be
attributed to the fact that in the early 90 Radio Finland broke away
from the traditional international broadcasting formats and introduced
continuous all-day flows of programming. Live domestic and
international sports is a key attraction.
Within YLE, the future of SW and MW is an issue at the corporate
level, and not a matter handled within the external broadcasting
branch only. As stated, no decisions have so far been taken.
In 2002 YLE closed all foreign language external services, except
Russian and some small languages spoken in Russia. The closures did
not arouse much protest, except to some extent from the German area.
The reaction to the possibility of closing now Finnish and Swedish has
been surprisingly vast and intense, and may be unique in recent
expatriate media discussions, internationally. Radio Finland has *not*
repeat *not* been involved in these campaigns.
# posted by Andy @ 20:39 UT Feb 12 (Media Network blog via DXLD)
** GERMANY. So far my contacts couldn't find out more about the
reported reduction in shortwave transmissions of Deutsche Welle. But
now a new rumour from the DRM folks has been posted at
http://forum.myphorum.de/read.php?f=8773&i=166155&t=166155 :
Probably the DRM service on 3995 will be cancelled. Another source
adds that this is indeed under consideration, despite this frequency
again being coordinated at the current HFCC conference. Mind you,
these folks don't care about AM at all, so we can only wonder what is
under consideration here; the referenced report from Bob Padula had
only transmissions to Asia and Australia as topic, but I think this
doesn't mean that only these target areas will be affected!
In this thread you will find the tentative A05 DRM schedule for DW.
The 200 kW Taldom on 7390 is a bit suspect to me; could it be that
this is supposed to be AM instead? Also posted there is a Jülich
registration for BCE [LUXEMBOURG], i.e. a third DRM outlet for RTL
besides the two Junglinster transmitters: 0600-1800 on 7145. Finally
another posting contains a statement that Munich/Ismaning 6085 will be
switched off in mid-March and return in DRM in April.
Meanwhile Berlin-Britz 855 was observed running DRM again. Probably
now another transmitter than during 990's outage is in use again. You
can hear ten seconds of 990 and then a switch to 855 on last Sundays
morning at
http://www.radioeins.de/_/meta/sendungen/apparat/050205_a1.ram
855 has a delay of about three seconds and noticeably less punchy
audio, also appearing to be of a narrower bandwidth (probably 4.5 kHz
on 855 and 6 kHz on 990, but this is difficult to judge with so much
noise).
As a comparison here is 855 as it sounded on New Years Eve:
http://www.radioeins.de/_/meta/sendungen/apparat/041218_a3.ram
I would say here the modulation sounds different, actually quite good,
just rather soft because no any audio processing is in use (Kai
Ludwig, Germany, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY. A while ago I already wrote about the Reichenbach
transmitter near Görlitz (1188 kHz). Here is an update after visiting
the site: The old pre-war station building still exists, and it
appears that it housed the transmitter used until around 1999. The
current transmitter sits in a container next to the antenna, and the
installation is completed with a satellite dish on a concrete
platform. No idea when time will permit to build a webpage about it;
anyway these pictures are already online:
http://www.reichenbach-ol.com/Geschichte-Reichenbach/Funkturm.jpg
--- Station building and the original, meanwhile replaced tower
http://www.schlesien-online.de/radio/Reichenbach.jpg --- Artist's
impression of the transmitter in the outskirts of the small town
http://www.st-johannes-reichenbach.de/richtung_goerlitz.jpg
--- A look from the church tower also portrayed in the drawing, with
the current antenna in the left of the picture
As already noted Reichenbach was the Görlitz relay of Breslau. Exact
transmitter location is Rothsürben, today Zorawina (once 950 kHz,
finally with 200 kW on 1206 kHz). Here are pictures of this site, one
from 1932 (note the antenna, very similar to Reichenbach) and a
current one: http://hydral.com.pl/neo/2088,obiekt.html
Originally a studio at Görlitz belonged to the Reichenbach
transmitter. From 1953 the Serbsk minority service was produced for
some years there and carried via Reichenbach. Actually Görlitz is
outside the Serbsk area, the studio there was chosen simply because it
already existed and was otherwise out of use since 1945. Finally the
Serbsk service moved to Cottbus and the old Görlitz studio finally
went dark. Only the program feed to Reichenbach was always routed via
Görlitz, in detail from Dresden to Görlitz and from there more or less
back to Reichenbach.
Actual broadcasting from Görlitz revived in 1993 with Radio Lausitz, a
commercial station broadcasting via Löbau on 107.6 MHz. But meanwhile
live radio from Görlitz is in fact again a thing of the past: The
continuation of Radio Lausitz, now called ´´Lausitz 107 Punkt 6´´,
takes place at Dresden and most of the time Radio Lausitz is the very
same than Radio Dresden (´´Dresden 103 Punkt 5´´). Today the Görlitz
studio does hardly more than feeding local news and reports to
Dresden, now also for Hitradio RTL since SLP, the operator of the
local stations, and Hitradio RTL recently merged into a new company
called BCS --- website under construction at
http://www.broadcast-sachsen.de
At http://www.radiolausitz.net under ´´mehr Studio´´ (link in the
right of the page) you can take a look at the live studio
(´´Sendestudio´´) now in practice out of use as such, the news booth
(´´Nachrichtenstudio´´) and the editorial office (´´Redaktion´´). Nice
rooms, although it apparently only works by ´´swallow this SM7´´ (Kai
Ludwig, Germany, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. Re Never on Sunday: Hellenic Ministry of Culture page about
Melina Mercouri: http://www.culture.gr/2/20/melina.html
(John Babbis, MD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
NEVER ON SUNDAY
Words and Music by Manos Hadjidakis
English lyric by Billy Towne
Oh, you can kiss me on a Monday,
A Monday, a Monday is very very good
Or you can kiss me on a Tuesday
A Tuesday, a Tuesday, in fact I wish you would
Or you can kiss me on a Wednesday,
A Thursday, a Friday, and Saturday is best,
But never ever on a Sunday
A Sunday, a Sunday `cause that`s my day of rest.
Refrain:
Most any day you can be my guest,
Any day you say but my day of rest;
Just name the day that you like the best,
Only stay away on my day of rest.
Oh, you can kiss me on a cool day,
A hot day, a wet day, which ever one you choose,
Or try to kiss me on a grey day,
A May day, a pay day and see if I refuse;
And if you make it on a bleak day,
A freak day, or a week day, well you can be my guest;
But never ever on a Sunday,
A Sunday, the one day I need a little rest.
Oh, you can kiss me on a week day,
A week day a week day the day to be my guest.
(via John Babbis, DXLD)
** INDIA. 15235, All India Radio-Bangalore "Super Power transmitters",
Yelahanka New Town, Bangalore 560-064, India, QSL letter full data
received in one month. First, I received an electronic QSL letter.
V/S: R. Narasimha Swamy, Superintending Engineer (Arnaldo Slaen,
Argentina, HCDX via DXLD)
** INDIA. Message from Sunil Bhatia, SMS Division, All India Radio.
Dear Mr. Mukesh, Hello and seasons greetings from AIR. It was really
wonderful to work with you in 2004; we received some valuable reports
from you on our services. I am sorry not to write you frequently,
However, we have tried to send QSL on your reports on certain
occasions. How are things going on there in election environment. Hope
you are fine and busy with your work.
May I request you to kindly send us reception reports / audio clips on
our Nepali service. The details are given below:
Time (IST) Frequency(kHz)
0700-0800 594, 3945, 7250, 9810, 11715 [0130-0230 UT]
1230-1330 7250, 9595, 11850 [0700-0800 UT]
1900-2000 1134, 3945, 4860, 11775 [1330-1430 UT]
It would be more useful if send your reports from ordinary receivers.
With best regards, Sunil Bhatia, SMS Division, All India Radio
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(via Mukesh Kumar, THE COSMOS CLUB, MISCOT-3, R-8, RAMNA, MUZAFFARPUR
– 842002, BIHAR, INDIA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA: ``Wasn't there a report a couple of years ago about
someone visiting the station and stating that the whole site was
buried in the jungle and the visitor estimated it the return to air to
be very improbable?``
--- But which one? At Cimanggis some of the new 250 kW Marconi
transmitters were installed in the nineties, so this observation must
concern another site. Cimanggis is also noteworthy for two Funkwerk
Köpenick transmitters, the only shortwave broadcasting transmitters
from this GDR company installed abroad I am aware of (Kai Ludwig,
Germany, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SIRIUS RECEPTION IN EUROPE
There was an inquiry here a few days back about the possibility of
receiving Sirius satellite programs in the UK. The unanimous opinion
was that it would be impossible. Here is a contrary view. Sirius uses
satellites operating in a Molynia type orbit. This orbit gets its name
from the Molynia satellites operated by the USSR to bring TV to the
hinterlands of Siberia. These orbits have a low perigee south of the
equator and a high apogee over the northern latitudes. When the USSR
was using this technique their broadcasts to Siberia were received in
New York City at the Columbia University institute for Soviet studies
or some such name. There the broadcasts were received, recorded and
analyzed to gain clues about what was happening behind the old Iron
Curtain. The antennas were aimed north from New York over the pole.
The Sirius satellites use the Molynia orbit to get higher look angles
from the USA than are possible from satellites operating in
geostationary orbits over the equator. The higher look angles reduce
the need for terrestrial repeaters to fill in the shadows in large
cities caused by tall buildings. The Sirius satellites have an apogee
over Manitoba. It is quite conceivable that they could be seen from
the northern latitudes of Europe and Asia. Of course Sirius uses some
directional antenna patterns to enhance the ERP in the direction of
North America. A receiver antenna on the ground would have to have
some gain to make up for the off-pointing loss of the satellite
pattern. That implies the receive antenna would be directional and
might need to be steered depending on the amount of gain and the
narrowness of the receive antenna pattern.
I doubt that an automobile-mounted antenna would work but given a
hearty budget, Sirius reception in Europe might be possible. The need
for a subscription would require a US address and credit card for
monthly billing, but if this ever takes off, there would likely be
several gray market entrepreneurs willing to make a buck by acting as
your intermediary. 73, (Joe Buch, DE, Feb 11, Swprograms mailing list
via DXLD)
** IRAN non: ``11620, Voice of the Iranian Nation, 1430-1500 ... Ex
15660 ... From where?``
--- Understood to be from Egypt, already for decades. I think in the
mid-nineties there were some reports about some cooperation agreement,
enabling the USA or more specifically the CIA to use the Abis site for
such, uh, special broadcasts (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 12, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** KENYA. On 12 Feb (Saturday) at 1945 there is a station on 4915 in
Swahili mixing with Ghana. I didn't get the 2000 TOH ID, but assume
this is KBC Kenya now running the Swahili service and also on during
the weekends. Maybe Chris can confirm this (Jari Savolainen,
Kuusankoski, Finland, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. R. Farda on new 1575 kHz: I'm getting this now (8:51 pm
local). Clearly // 9585. Still in 30 minutes later, but weaker (Pete
Jernakoff, Wilmington, DE, 0151 UT Feb 12, NRC-AM via DXLD)
** LUXEMBOURG [non]. DRM: See GERMANY
** MEXICO [non?]. This Friday Feb 11 around 2130 I again looked for
the alleged R. Insurgente clandestine on or around 6.0 MHz. Nothing.
Did not check during the 2200 hour, but as one previous report
suggested it might be a couple hours later, I again checked at 2314.
By this time there was Spanish on 6000, but they were talking about
RSF and Cuba, and \\ 11875, so presumably RHC`s Mesa Redonda ---
strangely, there was a slight delay (reverb) between the two. While I
was at it I looked around for other Cuban frequencies and found: 9550
English; 11760 & 13680 RN Venezuela, the latter very undermodulated;
15230 & 17705 RHC Portuguese (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DRM:
** MOLDOVA [and non]. UNIDENTIFIED. TWR on 1566: See below: TWR in
Romanian heard on Feb 9 at 1930 on 1566. A follow-up mentioned that
the transmission was over at 2000. But from where?! (Kai Ludwig, DX
LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
Hallo an alle, wieder ist 'ne DX-Frequenz futsch: 1566! Gestern lief
hier noch AIR Nagpur mit O=4. Und heute? Transworld Radio Romania mit
S=9+20 um 19.30 UTC. Das war's dann wohl. und tschüss (Michael
Schnitzer Homepage: http://home.arcor.de/mschnitzer/ Location: Haßfurt
Feb 9, A-DX via Ludwig, DXLD)
[Later:] Obviously 1467 at Grigoriopol has been replaced by 1566.
Enclosed the decisive report I can only confirm: 1566 has a strong
signal with presumed VOR in Bulgarian, and on 1467 Roumoules with
Radio Vatican is in the clear now (switching antenna patterns between
Hungarian and Czech at 1830, by the way). (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb
12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hallo! V. of Russia kam um 1800 UT mit s/on und dem Bulgarischen-
Programm auf 1566 kHz. Könnte das eventuell via MDA kommen? Auf der
gelisteten Frequenz 1467 kHz ist nur Radio Vatican via Frankreich (//
1530 khz) zu hören. 73, (Patrick Robic, A-DX via Ludwig, DXLD)
On 12 Feb at 1804 noted powerhouse VOR in Bulgarian on 1566 instead of
its normal 1467 Grigoriopol MDA. Continued at 1900 in Greek. A
permanent move or just Saturday nite fever? (Jari Savolainen,
Kuusankoski, Finland, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Pirate FM in OKC --- Hello Glen[n], Here's a story from
the Feb 9, 2005 edition of the OKC Gazette. Apparently a pirate low
power FM station is broadcasting from the Paseo district of OKC on
Thursday and Sunday nights on 93.9 MHz. The pirate callls itself Radio
Free OKC and was launched on February 3rd. The DJ who calls himself
"Amazing Mr. Please Please" will keep Thursday nights for rock and
roll only and Sundays for jazz and hip hop. There will also be live
bands, local artists, and guest DJ's on any of those nights. The
frequency is assigned to a country music station in Watonga, OK that
is owned by Orion Broadcasting in Austin, MN. No indication of power
or coverage but I could not pick it up here in Del City, OK which is
about 2 or 3 miles from the Paseo as the crow flies (Steve Cross, Del
City, OK, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. K202BY, Enid, Oklahoma, PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
On January 19, 2005, Family Stations, Inc., filed an application for
renewal of license K202BY serving Enid, OK. K02BY operates on Ch. 202
[88.3 MHz] and rebroadcasts the signal of KEAR(FM), Ch. 295, San
Francisco, CA. The transmitter site for K202BY is located at Route
132, 3.4 km North of intersection with USH 60 (Route 15), 12 km WNW of
Enid, OK. You are invited to advise the Federal Communications
Commission in Washington, DC, 20554, of any facts relating to K202BY`s
application for renewal or whether the station has operated in the
public interest (Legal Notice published in the Enid News & Eagle
February 12, 2005, via DXLD) I assume the FCC is fine with stations
promoting apocalyptic nonsense. This relay 88.3 is also unnecessary
since WYFR can be heard here on multiple frequencies 24 hours (gh)
** PETER I. 3Y0X * UPDATE --- Three operators have dropped out of the
expedition, and the current roster includes F2JD, HB9BXE, K0IR, K3NA,
K4SV, K4UEE, K9SG, LA6VM, N2WB, N4GRN, N6OX, NP4IW, OH2BH, OH2PM,
PA5M, UA3AB, VK4GL and W0RUN. They expected to be underway from
Ushuaia, Argentina on 11 February. Another vessel (the "Cavendish
Sea"), another helicopter and a very experienced pilot have been
contracted, and the team should be able to hold to the most recently
announced schedule. Depending on weather and sea conditions they
expect to be off Peter I about 17-18 February and to operate until 3
March. Bookmark http://www.peterone.com for updates (425 DX News Feb
12 via Dave Raycroft, ODXA via DXLD)
This DXpedition was originally timed for southern spring when weather
conditions would have been most amenable; now fall is a-comin` on
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** POLAND. The DX Program of Radio Polonia ``Multimedia Show`` is now
broadcast every Tuesday at 18.25 hours on 7220 and 7265 kHz and every
Thursday at 13.25 hours on 9525 and 11850 kHz (Rumen Pankov, R.
Bulgaria DX program Feb 11, via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD)
** PUERTO RICO. Radio Isla, captada en los 1320 kHz, a las 0722 UT, el
10/02. Locutor comentaba incidente del cantante venezolano, Oscar
D'León, en Barranquilla. SINPO 33433 (Adán González, Catia La Mar,
Estado Vargas, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRTH 2005 has this as
WSKN, Super Cadena de Noticias; name change? No, their affiliate in
Ponce on 1490 is ``La Isla`` so just a slogan (gh, DXLD)
** ROMANIA. ´´Re Harris press release: One of the poorest European
countries has now a potential of at least 8 powerful MW powerhouses,
thanks to human race friend G. W. Bush administration´´
--- Yes, but as I already noted: At least in the case of Tâncâbeshti
it is notable that apparently this station has been downgraded from
1500 to 400 kW. I remember that in the past Tâncâbeshti completely
obliterated Berlin-Britz after dark here, but not so anymore. To me
this appears to be a result of the circumstance that Harris' line of
mediumwave transmitters ends with the DX-200. Combine two of them and
you get 400 kW, and that's it (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 12, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOMALIA. JOURNALIST AUTHORISED TO RETURN TO WORK
The head of security for Middle Shabelle region, who is also the
brother of local chief Mohamed Omar Habeb, authorised journalist
Abdiqani Sheik Mohamed to return to work on 3 February 2005, the local
press freedom group Somali Journalists Network (SOJON) told Reporters
sans frontières (RSF). The journalist, formerly of the privately-owned
station Radio Banadir, had been living in internal exile in Mogadishu,
in precarious circumstances, since a decree issued on 27 September
2004 banned him from "practicing his profession." (French version
included) Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?id=26793
(Dr Hansjoerg Bierner, Germany, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOMALIA [and non]. Obituary --- Kate Peyton, BBC producer devoted
to Africa --- by Alan Little, Friday February 11, 2005, The Guardian
It is a cruel irony that Kate Peyton, who has died aged 39, after
being shot while on assignment for the BBC in the Somali capital
Mogadishu, should have fallen victim to the kind of random violence
that she devoted her working life to chronicling. . .
http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1410327,00.html
(via Dan Say, BC, DXLD) Touching
** TANZANIA. Radio Tanzania was heard at 15 hours in Swahili on 6105
kHz and can be heard often on 5050 kHz after 17 hours (Rumen Pankov,
R. Bulgaria DX program Feb 11, via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD)
** THAILAND. 6765.1 kHz, Bangkok Radio, Volmet Broadcast,
Telecommunication Division, Meteorological Department, 4353 Sukhumvit
Road, Bangkok 10260, Thailand, QSL folder full data and QSL letter
full data. I sent a reception report of a broadcast for shipping by
ordinary mail. Delay: 45 days V/S: Ms. Jantima Niyomchok (Arnaldo
Slaen, Argentina, HCDX via DXLD)
** U A E. Re 21605: Right, UAE is on 21605 // 13675 at that time
[1430] and already 1300 and 12005 is empty. Either the replacement is
canceled or it is only between 0600-0900 (or -1200). 73, (Mauno
Ritola, Finland, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
And Feb 12 around 1500 I was getting some UAE-sounding audio on 21605,
still very weak, but a bit stronger than Saudi on 21600. Strange how
the relative strength of these two neighboring stations, in more ways
than one, varies here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K. NO COMEBACK FOR BLACKADDER, SAYS BBC
LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The BBC on Thursday poured cold water
on hopes that Baldrick, one of Britain's best-loved comic characters,
could make a comeback in a new series of the hit "Blackadder" comedy.
Talk of a return was triggered after Tony Robinson, who played the
simple-minded half-wit in the four previous "Blackadder" runs, said he
would like a new series to be set in the Swinging Sixties -- with
Baldrick reincarnated as a drummer called Bald Rick.
The BBC said that while it had not talked to the cast about a
possible new series, it was a case of "never say never."
Robinson fuelled speculation that a new series was on the drawing
board when he said the show's star Rowan Atkinson was interested.
"Rowan is more keen than he has been in the past and I would love
to do it," he told ITV's "This Morning." But the BBC said that there
were no plans for a comeback. "For our part, we're not aware of any
plans to bring it back," a BBC spokeswoman said. "Never say never, but
there's nothing on our books."
The cast, which included Rowan Atkinson, Miranda Richardson and
Stephen Fry, could be reincarnated, Robinson said - with Atkinson as
an illegitimate son of royalty.
The main characters were last seen in the final series in 1989,
going "over the top" from their First World War trench. This moving
finale was later voted the best farewell episode for a TV series and
the series was recently voted Britain's best-loved sitcom behind
"Only Fools and Horses." (RTw 02/10 1034 via Mike Cooper, DXLD)
** U S A. Allston-Brighton Free Radio is gone, as of Jan. 1st. ABFR
was a community AM station on 1630 kHz. It was originally on 1670 kHz,
but I noted it changed freq last July. I hadn't heard it around the
December holidays, and became concerned. I found a connection to ABFR
who said that the station was in financial problems, and the equipment
was sold and the space gone. The station had started in 2000 (Paul
McDonough, Natick, MA, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
ABFR actually goes back a little earlier than 2000, to about 1997; it
was originally on FM (along with a slew of other pirates that popped
up in the summer of 1997 in Boston) as Radio Free Allston and a round
of busts by the FCC in about late 1997 brought an end to that. The
operator, Steve Provizer, fancied himself as something of an east-
coast Stephen Dunifer. It came back later as ABFR on AM. Boston has
been a hotbed of unlicensed activity since that time, but ABFR is
really the only one that pushed a truly community agenda. All others
have been simply music or ethnic pirates (Damon Cassell, ibid.)
** U S A. WETA BOARD APPROVES SWITCH TO NEWS-TALK FORMAT
By Philip Kennicott Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 11, 2005; Page C01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A15840-2005Feb10?language=printer
WETA-FM listeners who had hoped to sway the public broadcasting
station's board of directors from dropping classical music programs
left WETA's Shirlington offices disappointed last night. By an
overwhelming majority, the board approved a resolution to focus on
news and public-affairs programming. A new lineup, with round-the-
clock news, analysis and interview programs, will debut Feb.
28. Only the weekly broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera and
"Traditions With Mary Cliff," a folk music program, will remain for
music lovers.
"We're in the business of trying to create a larger audience and have
more people join our station," said Sharon Percy Rockefeller, WETA's
president and CEO, after the vote. Rockefeller and other station
leaders said they had anticipated disappointment from music lovers but
that a single-format approach without music made sense for the radio
station and would help it to better serve its mission and its
audience.
A cartoon rabbit and the demise of Western civilization were the
main subjects of the public-comment period before the board took its
vote on WETA-FM programming. Gay viewers, angry that WETA-TV (Channel
26) declined to broadcast an episode of "Postcards From Buster," in
which a popular cartoon figure visited two lesbian couples and their
children in Vermont, expressed a sense of betrayal. And lovers of
classical music, including prominent figures from the music
community, cast the decision to drop music from WETA radio in broad
cultural terms, as an assault on the last quiet, uncommercial realm
for art on the airwaves.
Using words such as "dismayed," "abandoned" and "angered," the
classical music public outweighed the handful of people who spoke out
about the "Buster" decision. Both groups chastised the board for not
taking into account, and respecting, minority cultural
constituencies that look to public radio and television for
programming and affirmation they can't find elsewhere. Of the 58
members of the public at the meeting, 25 addressed the board. Usually,
only a couple of people attend the meetings, station leaders said.
Board Chairman John W. Hechinger Jr. said the time spent discussing
the new radio format didn't allow time for discussion of the refusal
to air the "Buster" episode. Rockefeller said WETA felt "absolutely
no government pressure" to suppress the episode, which had been
criticized as unfit for children by Education Secretary Margaret
Spellings.
WETA-FM management, including new Program Director Maxie C Jackson
III, said WETA is still committed to diverse and representative
programming and that the new radio format would allow WETA to develop
programming for "underserved" communities, including African
Americans.
WETA Vice President Dan DeVany said that although the initial lineup
would use "a lot of acquired" programming from NPR and the BBC, the
station intends to produce its own material, possibly including a
cultural program that would give some coverage to the Washington arts
scene.
Among those hoping that WETA would keep at least some of its classical
music programming was Ulrich Bader, director of artistic programming
for the National Symphony Orchestra. Bader brought an e-mail petition
signed by more than 740 musicians and music lovers, including composer
John Adams and prominent flutist James Galway. Bader was joined by
music educators who spoke of the difficulty of introducing children to
classical music when it's becoming harder to find top-quality and free
radio programming. (The remaining Washington area classical station on
the dial, WGMS-FM, airs commercials.) Fans and longtime members of the
station argued that all signs in Washington, including the opening of
the Strathmore Hall music center in Montgomery County, point to an
increased interest in classical music.
WETA-FM currently airs 15 hours of classical music on a typical
weekday and carries the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and "Traditions"
on weekends. In recent years, WETA has moved incrementally toward less
music. The addition in 1999 of "Morning Edition," which is also
carried on WAMU, beefed up its news programming but sparked protests
from music lovers. A WETA spokeswoman said the station temporarily
lost members after that decision but ultimately it built listenership.
Nonetheless, in 2004 the station's audience sank to its lowest point
since 1991, and is ranked 18th in metropolitan Washington, according
to a spokesman.
But for musicians such as William Wielgus, an oboist with the NSO,
it's not about numbers, but principle. Rather than give up on music,
he argued, the station should make a concerted effort to preserve it
and educate new listeners.
"Instead of trying to do less," Wielgus said, "I encourage you to
actively try to do more." (c) 2005 The Washington Post Company (via
Mike Cooper, DXLD)
``We're Emitting Talk Always`` (Brock Whaley, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Cash problems for NPR/PBS stations? An Associated Press
story this afternoon listed 99 federal programs President Bush's
recently submitted budget would eliminate. One of the listed programs
is the "Public Telecommunications Facilities, Planning and
Construction Program". It is my understanding this program is the
source of much of the funding for hardware at public radio and TV
stations. (as opposed to programming which is generally paid for by
listener/viewer contributions) – (Doug Smith W9WI Pleasant View
(Nashville), TN EM66 Feb 12, WTFDA via DXLD)
And some of you had bad things to say about the [acting] President.
Sounds like this will stop IBOC on NPR stations (Rich Shaftan, NJ
[from the far right], ibid.)
** U S A. WHAS (Estados Unidos), con señal muy fuerte en los 840 kHz,
a las 0741 UT, con SINPO 43333 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, Estado
Vargas, VENEZUELA, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Está transmitiendo la nueva "Mega 94.9" de la cadena Clear
Channel con su slogan "Latino & Proud" con programación música
Reggaeton y latino Hip-hop de moda en estos días. Así los oyentes del
Rock del Sur de la Florida pierden su canal musical 94.9 Zeta (Dino
Bloise, Hollywood, FL, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
A close radio friend of mine in Miami just lost his part time job this
AM working at Album Rocker Zeta 4 FM when they began simulcasting 940
AM WINZ in preparation of flipping to Spanish programming on the FM
(Ron Gitschier, Palm Coast, FL, Feb 11, NRC-AM via DXLD
** U S A. 780, FLORIDA, Florida State Fair TIS, Tampa (at US-301 and
I-4) indeed again active, listening to right now at 1625Z+ Feb. 12,
barely audible here in Clearwater (should remain active through Feb.
21). "Welcome to the FL State Fair..." by M. Big slop from 760, but as
always gets out well (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA,
27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W Visit my "Florida Low Power Radio Stations" at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. First time I've ever allowed myself to be quoted regarding
pirates (CBS TV network recently tried, as did the Miami Herald and a
local Miami TV station)... nothing new here, but at least he didn't
distort the facts or spell my name wrong... (Terry Krueger, FL)
LAWS FAIL TO SQUELCH PIRATE RADIO STATIONS --- By BRAD SMITH
ST. PETERSBURG - After a rap show by Snoop Dogg at Jannus Landing last
week, fliers papered cars parked nearby, announcing an upstart radio
station. ``There is a new pirate in downtown St. Petersburg,'' boasted
Pirate Radio Network, an unlicensed outlet at 97.5 FM.
Some of the metal and alternative music played during one recent
stretch included a lounge cover of Rage Against the Machine's
``Guerrilla Radio'' and a track from a recent Linkin Park/Jay-Z mix
compact disc.
The fuzzy stereo signal doesn't reach much beyond Fourth Street, a few
blocks north of downtown. No matter. The low-power station is the
latest to join Florida's underground radio ranks, part of a renegade
international movement that dates back decades.
``Radio is so polluted with crap. We're just putting this out for
people to listen,'' the station's disc jockey said Thursday. He
identified himself only as ``Bob Noxious'' because he faces felony
charges if caught.
He's also a 35-year-old musician and veteran of a Tampa pirate station
shut down several years ago by government agents, he said. ``I'd be
foolish not to be somewhat afraid,'' he said. ``Everyone I know who's
done this has been raided. I fully anticipate someone to come knocking
sooner or later.''
Florida passed an antipiracy law, effective seven months ago, making
it a felony to start a radio station without a license. The law,
pushed by the commercial broadcast industry, lets local law
enforcement shut down pirate stations, something previously controlled
by federal agents.
In the United States, at least, illegal micropower stations are the
bane of the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the
airwaves. The FCC is under pressure by some in Congress, however, to
loosen its rules and let more small-timers on the air in cities -
beyond the roughly 600 in rural areas legalized since 2000.
``Low-power FM truly represents a unique opportunity to give new voice
to old communities and to new communities as well,'' departing FCC
Chairman Michael Powell said Tuesday at a Washington forum on low-
power radio.
The problem, according to the FCC and commercial broadcasters, is that
pirate radio can jam licensed stations on the same frequencies and
jeopardize public safety.
Others such as Hannah Sassaman, of Prometheus Radio Project, point out
that the airwaves belong to all and that many low-power outlets
provide valuable service. ``It's about diversity and choice and local
information,'' said Sassaman, whose nonprofit group advises licensed
micropower stations but does not endorse pirates.
``What we're talking about are commercial broadcasters who have a lot
of money to make by selling your ears to their advertisers and
protecting their ability to do so,'' Sassaman said.
Where They Are
Low-power FM is illegal in urban areas for anything but noncommercial
educational purposes. Still, the Tampa Bay area is peppered with them.
They come and go, subject to the whims of discreet operators who don't
wish to attract a government raid. Some emanate from college campuses;
others broadcast from back yards. It typically costs from a few
hundred dollars to a few thousand to buy a transmitter and put up an
antenna.
Terry Krueger, of Clearwater, who runs a Web site that catalogs active
and inactive low-power stations in Florida, said there are dozens of
private radio operators sending signals into the Sunshine State's
ozone. Most are on the air weekends only.
One station - 96.3 FM in St. Petersburg, new a year ago - plays
nonstop Jamaican dance hall songs and long blocks of ska and reggae
with no live announcements. Another station calls itself ``Flavor FM
96.7,'' playing nonstop old-school soul music with ``clean version''
hip hop.
In Tampa, things are quieter these days. Krueger said only one station
is active, 103.9 FM, playing Haitian Creole tunes.
``Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are huge hotbeds of
pirate activity,'' Krueger said. ``I would conservatively say there
are 50 active at any given time down there. The majority of active
stations these days are serving an ethnic niche: the Haitian
community, Caribbean expatriates, Hebrews, Hispanic.''
The Bay area has its share of legal small-timers. They include a weak
signal sent only during the two-week Florida State Fair, which began
Thursday.
One FCC-approved station, at 1620 AM, is WKQV Riverside Community
Radio, which operates on solar power and broadcasts Spanish music and
news, Krueger said. Others operate in Dade City, Brooksville,
Inverness and Homosassa.
Sassaman said some low-power stations, such as WJTW- FM in Jupiter,
provided helpful information during last year's four hurricanes.
Change On Horizon?
Small stations are gaining some powerful advocates, including U.S.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who are pushing
to legalize amateur operations able to reach listeners as far as 3.5
miles away.
``While it may be too late to turn back the clock on the radio
consolidation that has occurred, low-power FM may be one means of
providing the public with a locally oriented alternative to huge
national radio networks,'' McCain said in introducing legislation last
year.
McCain's bill would repeal a 2000 law that created hundreds of low-
power stations in rural areas and small towns; it would allow similar
stations of no more than 100 watts to reach listeners in cities
dominated by powerful broadcasters.
Until then, anyone running a pirate radio station runs the risk of a
raid. In 1997, government agents raided what then was Tampa's best-
known pirate station, 102.1 FM, The Party Pirate, operated by L. Doug
Brewer, a Tampa electronics dealer. He was fined $22,000 but never
paid, he said Thursday.
Brewer remains something of a local legend. He still sells equipment
to would-be pirates, but he pooh-poohs the chances of low-power
stations gaining permits in cities. ``It's not going to happen,'' he
said. ``The FCC just caters to the corporate interests. Yeah, you can
get a 10-watt or a 100-watt license in Podunk, but not in any major
city or even close.''
This story can be found at: http://tampatrib.com/News/MGBH9PKY15E.html
(via Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA, Feb 12, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. LPFM Database --- Do you know by state the LPFM "Grant
Ratios" and "Processing Completed" status? If not, you will enjoy
this: http://www.recnet.com/cdbs/scoreboard.php
Do you know the potential population reached by each LPFM station?
Here are the answers from RecNet:
New LPFM Population Study Released. Stations in Oxnard CA, Richmond VA
and Baton Rouge LA lead the list
REC Networks has released a new study that shows the population that
is in the primary service area and the fringe areas of all LPFM
authorized stations and pending applications.
This report replaces a similar report published a couple of years ago.
One of the primary differences between this report and the previous
one is that this report uses Census Block methodology that gives
resolution down to very small areas to give the most accurate result.
The Top 10 LPFM stations with a call-sign assigned are:
1. KOCC-LP Oxnard, CA (Calvary Chapel of Oxnard)
2. WRIR-LP Richmond, VA (Virginia Center for the Public Press)
3. WTQT-LP Baton Rouge, LA (Louisiana Community Development)
4. KDEE-LP Sacramento, CA (Ca. Black Chamber of Commerce)
5. WUPC-LP Arrowhead Village, NJ (Radio Alerta)
6. WXNM-LP Erie, PA (Erie Christian Broadcasting)
7. WXRY-LP Columbia, SC (Gamecock Alumni Broadcasters)
8. WXBQ-LP Moorhead, MN (Women's Care Clinic)
9. WTPB-LP Rockford, IL (Third Presbyterian Church)
10. KXZY-LP Waco, TX (Primera Asamblea de Dios)
Of the applications that have not yet been approved, whomever prevails
from the controversial Providence, RI MX [mutually exclusive] group
will take the number one position where the station(s) that are
approved will serve over a quarter of a million persons.
A complete copy of the report is now available at:
http://www.recnet.com/lpfminfo/lpfmpopulation.pdf (John O. Broomall,
GA, Christian Community Broadcasters, Feb 11, WTFDA via DXLD)
** U S A. Bitter feelings over demise of KFGQ-1260 --- There's an
interesting viewpoint being made public by the former general manager
of religious broadcaster KFGQ-1260 in Boone, Iowa. This station has
just recently changed its calls and, it would seem, its approach to
serving the local public. Check it out at http://www.kfgq.org (Rick
Dau, Omaha, Nebraska, NRC-AM via DXLD) Christians vs Christians!!!
** U S A. FCC REJECTS TV STATIONS DIGITAL CABLE CARRIAGE
Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:25 AM ET News via Reuters News: By Jeremy Pelofsky
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=industryNews&storyID=7596009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Thursday dealt a blow to
television broadcasters by rejecting requests that cable operators be
required to carry more than one of the stations' primary channels.
The Federal Communications Commission voted 4-1 to turn down requests
by broadcasters like Paxson Communications Corp. that cable systems
like Comcast Corp. be required to carry all the digital channels
offered by each local television station.
The agency was unanimous in also refusing to force cable operators to
carry more than one primary signal from a broadcaster during the
digital transition, which could last several years. Stations had
wanted dual carriage of both existing analog and new digital signals
during the move.
As broadcasters move to digital, the efficiencies of the new, higher
quality signals give the stations additional airwaves, which they can
use to offer up to six channels, known as multicasting.
"I am forced to conclude that we lack the authority to mandate either
dual carriage or multicast carriage," said FCC Commissioner Kathleen
Abernathy.
The FCC in 2001 rejected mandatory carriage of both analog and digital
as well as the extra digital channels. Since then broadcasters and
cable companies have tried to negotiate deals to have the extra
stations carried, but with mixed success. Paxson and other
broadcasters had asked the FCC to reconsider those decisions.
The National Association of Broadcasters has warned that it would
challenge FCC rejection in court. The group has also said its member
stations may try to use the airwaves for alternative uses, like
telephone service.
Cable operators counter that the two sides should be able to negotiate
agreements to carry stations that offer extra compelling programming.
They have pointed to a recent pact to carry up to four digital
channels offered by each public television station (via Harry Smith,
DXLD)
This decision is disappointing. On one hand the FCC requires stations
to spend millions of dollars (some have had to built new towers) to
transmit in digital and then on the other hand doesn't put any
obligation on cable operators to carry all of the digital services.
This will discourage stations from fully utilizing multicast services
and limit the offerings available to viewers--including non-cable
subscribers. Some CATV stations carry some pretty marginal
programming, but some of that makes them money. Airing multicast
signals does not make them money. Some cable systems do act the in
public interest and do a great job (Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence,
Kansas is an example), but others do not. Carriage of some PBS
stations with good audiences have been dropped on some CATV systems to
make room for less popular services which they have ownership (Dave
Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, WTFDA via DXLD)
Smart station owners will arrange (pay, say) for carriage of their
multicast channels. In the Chicago area, ABC News Now was carried on
Comcast (and likely will be again), and NBC's new WeatherCast (or
whatever it's called) is also on cable. Digital tier in both cases,
but it`s there, and more people can see it there than on the DTV
subchannels it`s carried in. That said, cable operators would howl if
they were forced to carry either for free, to say nothing of the five
subchannels carried on the local Pax DTV station (the local analog Pax
signal, two Pax feeds from different time zones, and three more
channels of mostly religious programming). (Tim Cronin, Worth, IL,
ibid.)
If other program suppliers (ESPN, CNN, etc.) paid cable operators to
carry their programming I could better understand TV stations paying
CATV systems for cable distribution. Or, if cable operators did not
charge for their service I could understand stations and other program
suppliers paying for distribution. But cable operators who want
stations to pay them for distribution also get paid at the other end.
And, they shouldn't forget that they came into existence because they
had TV station programming to provide to subscribers. They could not
have gotten started without the TV station programming. I do agree
that some station programming is not that great and appeals to a very
limited audience. But then, that is exactly what some cable channels
do and there is nothing wrong with serving small groups (Dave Pomeroy,
KS, ibid.)
The other side of that discussion. In the past, analog stations have
built huge towers and cleverly selected their tower site plus power
plus fill-in patterns to reach the maximum number of homes because
advertising depends upon max home reach. That is the basis of our
commercial broadcasting system and it has little changed from the
1920s. But now we have digital and something more than half of the
stations now functional in digital are running very modest power and
antenna heights. Cable systems in their immediate area link directly
from the station's programming panel to their headend using fiber or
microwave while cable systems further out often depend upon the
DirecTV or Echostar satelliite links for feeds.
It is possible - even doubtful - that many of the stations now running
reduced power and antenna height will EVER resume tall tower/high
power digital since they reach 65% and upwards of their audience via
cable and another 12-20% via satellite. And they can do this with much
less money invested in tower and power plant because cable is filling
in coverage that would only be duplicated with tall tower/high power.
Why spend money to reach the same folks/homes twice?
That suggests to me that modern cable is doing more than "filling in"
holes in coverage - it is providing coverage, at reduced cost, for the
stations involved. Decades ago analog stations were given the
opportunity to use UHF translators (later VHF translators) to fill in
"behind hills" WITHIN their Grade B contours. Almost none took
advantage of this opportunity although for advertising purposes they
continued to "claim" the homes behind the hills as part of their
audience. Yes, cable collects money but in today's climate is that
unreasonable given the benefits that cable CAN (although it does not
always) provide to stations saddled with spiraling operating and
capital costs? I think this is a two-way street (Bob Cooper in New
Zealand, ibid.)
** U S A. DTV CHANNEL ELECTIONS --- Today was the deadline for TV
stations to make a choice in the first round of DTV channel elections.
Unfortunately I've been unable to find a database listing the choices
made, which will make it impossible to accumulate a comprehensive
list. However, if you're curious about a specific station, try:
- Go to http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_sear.htm
- In the Call Sign box, enter the calls of the desired station. [note
0 below]
- In the first File Number box, enter BFRECT.[note 1 below]
- Leave the second File Number box - and all other boxes - empty.
- Click "Submit Application Search", or hit Enter.
- On the resulting screen, click on "Application".
You get the actual FCC Form 382, "DIGITAL CHANNEL ELECTION FORM FIRST
ROUND ELECTION", submitted by the station. (usually electronically)
Scroll down to Section II. There are three possible selections:
"a. Licensee/permittee makes the following channel election from its
currently assigned (DTV or NTSC) channels"
Most stations will have chosen this box. They must then enter
either their second digital or their first analog channel in
this box.
"b. Licensee/permitteee has entered into a Negotiated Channel
Election Arrangement and, accordingly, makes the following channel
election, subject to Commission approval:"
Stations making this choice have negotiated an agreement with
another station to use one of their two channels. They must
enter both the channel they prefer to use, *and* an alternate
channel in case the FCC does not approve their negotiated
arrangement. The alternate channel must be either their
existing analog assignment or their existing digital
assignment.
"c. Licensee/permittee makes no channel election; accordingly,
licensee/permittee elects to participate in the second round of
elections. This option may be selected only by licensees/permittees
with only one in-core channel or with two low VHF channels (2-6)."
Of course, stations making this choice don't enter any channels
yet.
The vast majority of stations are choosing option A.
Two good examples of stations choosing option B are WBBM-DT and WTTW-
DT in Chicago. WBBM is analog channel 2 and DTV channel 3; WTTW is
analog 11 and DTV 47. The two stations have negotiated an agreement
under which WBBM-DT will operate on channel 11 and WTTW-DT will stay
on channel 47. If this agreement is disapproved by the FCC, WBBM's
second choice is DTV channel 3, while WTTW will move their DTV
operation to channel 11. (I believe WBBM would still have the option
to jump into the second or third round and select a channel dropped by
some other station.)
So far the only station I've seen use option C is WCBS-DT New York
City. Their analog channel is 2 and their digital 56, which is outside
core. WCBS finds neither channel acceptable for permanent use.
Channel elections in the Nashville market FWIW:
Station Analog Current DTV Elected DTV
WKRN 2 27 27
WSMV 4 10 10
WTVF 5 56 5*
WNPT 8 46 8
WZTV 17 15 15
WNPX 28 36 36
WUXP 30 21 21
WHTN 39 38 39
WPGD 50 51 51
WNAB 58 23 23#
WJFB 66 44 44#
* Cannot keep current DTV channel as it's outside core.
# Cannot keep current analog channel as it's outside core.
--
[0] It's probably best to type a % at the end of the calls: that way
if the -TV suffix is an official part of the calls, the station will
still be found. (if you just type "WSMV" nothing will be found,
because the official calls are WSMV-TV)
[1] If it's a non-commercial station, enter BFREET.
(Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66,
http://www.w9wi.com Feb 12, WTFDA via DXLD)
** U S A. February 10, 2005
BROADCAST STATION TOTALS AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2004
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256657A1.txt
The Commission has announced the following totals for broadcast
stations licensed as of December 31, 2004:
AM STATIONS 4,774
FM COMMERCIAL 6,218
FM EDUCATIONAL 2,533
TOTAL 13,525
UHF COMMERCIAL TV 777
VHF COMMERCIAL TV 589
UHF EDUCATIONAL TV 257
VHF EDUCATIONAL TV 125
TOTAL 1,748
CLASS A UHF STATIONS 493
CLASS A VHF STATIONS 110
TOTAL 603
FM TRANSLATORS & BOOSTERS 3,890
UHF TRANSLATORS 2,631
VHF TRANSLATORS 1,823
TOTAL 8,344
UHF LOW POWER TV 1,553
VHF LOW POWER TV 481
TOTAL 2,034
TOTAL BROADCAST STATIONS 26,254
NEWS News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 TTY 202 / 418-2555 Fax-On-
Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp. fcc.gov
Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S. W., Washington,
D.C. 20554. This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.
Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official
action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D. C. Circ 1974). - FCC - (via
Jim Moats, DXLD) Why do these FCC text documents always come with
double spaces between every word? (gh, DXLD)
** U S A. SIGNIFICANTLY VIEWED TV STATIONS (per the FCC)
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-24A1.pdf
(It's a HUGE download. Files like this are why I have broadband and
512K of RAM.) Very interesting reading about what the FCC is now
regarding as "significantly viewed" stations. They seem to use 1972 as
a baseline; viewing habits in many counties have changed a LOT in 33
years! Of course, this was issued as a PDF document in text format,
rather than as a spreadsheet. That would have been far too efficient.
(David Austin, Columbia SC, WTFDA via DXLD)
That's certainly an *interesting* document... "We are confident that
the SV List appended to this Notice has a high degree of accuracy..."
Well, they got off on the wrong foot by misspelling my county as
"Cheatam" |grin|... But it gets worse in a hurry. A quick perusal
finds:
WPWR-50 listed as Chicago, not Gary IN. XETV-6 and XEWT-12 are both
listed as San Diego stations - I suppose most San Diegans believe that
but it's not officially true. Minor point.
KLGT-23 listed in Minneapolis. Station has been KMWB for several
years. Again, not a huge deal.
Satellite systems are going to have an awfully hard time carrying
CBLT-6 (listed as significantly viewed in Niagara Co., New York) and
KFIZ-34. (listed for Fond du Lac and Winnebago Counties in Wisconsin)
(the former station has been on channel *5* since at least the early
1970s, and the latter has been dark for just as long...)
I'm sure there are more errors. Like WJJY-14 Jacksonville, Illinois,
listed for two counties in the Hannibal, Missouri area - and dark for
decades.
There also seem to be an awful lot of stations missing. For example,
the only stations on the "SV" list for Davidson County, Tennessee are
WKRN-2, WSMV-4, WTVF-5, and WUXP-30. Surely Fox affiliate WZTV-17 is
significantly viewed? (probably WNAB-58 too) Obviously non-commercial
stations aren't listed. Apparently *any* station that came on after
the original 1972 list isn't listed unless they specifically asked the
FCC to list them?
Of course, this was issued as a PDF document in text format, rather
than as a spreadsheet. That would have been far too efficient.
I have my suspicions the "SV List" existed only on paper. --
(Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66,
http://www.w9wi.com WTFDA via DXLD)
How about their listings for Lincoln, Linn, Marion, and Polk counties,
Oregon, which list KOAB Bend, OR (even though my home county of
Deschutes evidently doesn't watch it :-)).
Bit of history on this one... the Commercial allotment for channel 3
in Salem, OR was moved over here and switched to Non-Commercial in
1977 or 78 (Frank in Boise would know this, as I think he lived here
then or shortly after - Frank?). [MORE on KVDO below]
But it`s laughable that they are still listing KVDO as significantly
viewed. Even in the early 70s they were only on the air part of the
day, and as I recall had wrestling, re-runs of shows nobody ever
watched first run, and the like. They were more like the old WBTB-68
Newark, for those who remember its pre "Wometco Home Theater" days.
On the positive side, they do note KTVZ-21 here. However, KOIN, KATU,
KVAL, KEZI, and others are significantly watched here via translator
and on cable. I mean, they're the only way we GET CBS and ABC, and we
DO watch those out here in the boonies :-).
On a side note - one of the things that is interesting about this list
is that it explains some TV Guide distribution weirdnesses here in
Oregon (and I'd presume in other states). For example, Grant County
shows significant viewership of 2 Boise stations - that's it - and
they do still get the Idaho TV Guide there, even though the primary
cable coverage is Portland on most systems, as are most of the
translators (though some of the smaller towns carry the Denver
ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS group...) (Dave Williams, Redmond, OR (near Bend, OR),
44:15:24N 121:11:47W, ibid.)
I checked the same thing. For example, Buchanan County VA gets the
West Virginia TVG (or they did when I was through Grundy several years
ago), which is not a total waste considering that they get Beckley/
Bluefield stations even though they are in the Bristol/ Kingsport/
Johnson City DMA, but is still rather odd. But according to this old
SV list, it makes perfect sense. (For those unfamiliar with the area,
Buchanan is the "point on top of the panhandle" that juts between WV
and KY. It's extremely hilly terrain.)
This SV list may actually turn out to be a *good* thing in that it
will make DBS *more* appealing to customers if the DBS people are
forced to carry these stations in addition to the present in-market
(DMA) offerings. It would, however, create a few incongruities. WIS-10
Columbia would not have to be imported into Myrtle Beach, but WECT-6
Wilmington (as well as WWAY-3 and WCSC-5 Charleston) would be. (The
latter three can easily be received OTA, but not WIS.) WIS is viewed
throughout South Carolina with the exception of the far edges around
Greenville and Charleston; if it can't get there OTA, it gets cabled
in (David Austin, ibid.)
I'd have to re-read it to be certain but I don't think there's any
*requirement* to carry these stations on DBS. Rather, the presence of
a station in a different DMA on the SV List means that the DBS company
*may* choose to deliver that station. I mean, for example, Cheatham
County is in the Nashville DMA, so ordinarily the only ABC affiliate
DBS is allowed to authorize on my box is WKRN-2. But if WBKO-13 -
located in the separate Bowling Green DMA - was listed as
"significantly viewed" in Cheatham Co., then DBS would be allowed to
authorize both WKRN and WBKO. They would not be *required* to
authorize WBKO. – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN,
ibid.)
How about the converse? If the only significantly viewed station in my
county is KTVZ, if I have satellite can they legally turn on all of
the out-of-market network stations for me? (Dave Williams, Redmond, OR
(near Bend, OR), ibid.)
While this new aspect of DBS (direct broadcast satellite) is being
discussed, some cable operators in the Shreveport-Texarkana DMA are
dropping NBC affiliate KTAL-6 Texarkana. That is being used as selling
point by Dish Network and Direct TV (Danny Oglethorpe, Shreveport, LA,
ibid.)
You may qualify for NY and LA network stations but your "legally"
designated local stations have to grant permission first. The KVDO
story is very interesting, I will send an email on it. 73 (Frank Aden,
N7SOK, Boise ID, ibid.)
Our cable company here in Joplin dropped ABC KODE CH 12, and NBC KSNF
CH 16 on Jan 1. They wanted too much money and the cable company
refused to pay it. The cable company is now offering a A B switch and
simple antenna free to all customers. Other local stations CBS KOAM CH
7 and FOX KFJX CH 14 are still on cable, likewise KOZJ PBS CH 26
(John Tudenham, Joplin MO, ibid.)
What kind of reaction is the cable system and the TV stations
receiving? Any articles in the paper? The TV stations only want 25
cents per subscriber to carry the signals. That's pretty small
compared to what the CATVs are paying for things like ESPN, etc. It
cost a lot for TV stations to transmit a signal. Why shouldn't
stations be compensated for the programs they broadcast and the cable
systems sell to subscribers? (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, ibid.)
That`s true, but depends how you look at it. Should be the other way
around, the cable companies are doing a favor for the TV stations to
carry them. Why should the cable customer have to pay to receive a
station you can get without cable? I can get ch 12 and 16 without an
antenna, less than 3 miles from me. Wish they weren't that strong here
hard to DX when pointed their way. By the way this has made viewers
mad at both the stations and cable company (John Tudenham, ibid.)
I'm beginning to wonder whether this report is really worth anything
at all -- with all of the silent stations, changed stations, mixed-up
markets, etc., all suggest that it's either very flawed or seriously
outdated or both. Which would be perfectly consistent with a lot of
other FCC 'data'. ===== (Russ Edmunds, PA, ibid.)
There are some weirdnesses here. (Not a surprise.) The New York
section includes a list of individual communities after the county-by-
county listings - and "Rochester" apparently has significantly-viewed
status for WCBS, WNBC, WNYW, WABC, WWOR and WPIX. Who knew? :-)
And in PA and NJ, wherever Philly-market stations are significantly
viewed, the listing includes "WKBS-TV, Channel 48, Altoona."
I have no doubt that the old WKBS-TV 48 Burlington NJ was
significantly viewed, back in the day. I have even less doubt that the
new WGTW 48 Burlington NJ is barely viewed, if ever. I have still less
doubt that nobody in Philly is watching the new WKBS 47 Altoona,
except maybe on a really unusual trop opening! S (Scott Fybush,
Rochester, ibid.)
Just out of curiosity: does anyone know of a circumstance where a
desired local station (i.e., one that the cable company wants to
carry, not one that they "must" carry whether they want to or not) has
stayed off a cable system for a long period of time due to a
compensation dispute?
I know you have this brinksmanship where a station gets yanked off
(WJLA-7 Washington and Fairfax County cable immediately come to mind),
people get cheesed off at the cable company, the station and the cable
company "work something out", and the station gets put back on.
Your average viewer does not want to have to fool with A/B switches,
outdoor antennas, rabbit ears, and so on. They just want to be able to
watch everything they think they should be getting locally (the major
networks and what few popular independents still exist, e.g., KTVK-3
and KCOP-13) and get it all crystal-clear with no effort on their
part. After all, in their minds that's what they're paying for. That's
why local-into-local DBS has caught on. It's counter-intuitive to use
up transponder space to beam a signal back down to a dish when the
subscriber lives 10 miles from the transmitter, but again, people
expect effortless reception of everything they want to watch, and this
does the trick. When I used to sell Primestar, the first question
you'd get was always "can I get the locals?" (David Austin, Columbia
SC, ibid.)
Maybe not exactly the circumstances you're talking about, but... There
was an instance a few years ago here in central/southern DE where
Comcast and one or two of the Baltimore stations couldn't come to an
agreement - they had been on our system for as long as I have been in
DE (20 years now), and now we get NO Baltimore stations (Dave Braun,
Wyoming, DE, ibid.)
Depends what counts as "long," I suppose. The longest cases I can
think of have lasted in the range of months (single-digits), and they
all seem to get resolved eventually. Usually both the cable company
and the local station end up looking worse at the end than they did at
the beginning. Nobody's ever sympathetic to the cable company, of
course (and I say this as a former employee of a cable company, with
absolutely no sympathy to that former employer), but you don't see a
lot of sympathy for your average Nextel-owned, HDTV-shunning, cheap-
as-can-be network affiliate lately, either. Not to mention which, it's
a killer to your ratings if cable penetration's 65% in your market (a
fairly typical number) and you're not on the cable system. So there's
an incentive for both sides to cooperate, especially if the local
station's on DBS.
It's easy if you live where David does, within sight of all the
Columbia towers, or where I do, within spitting distance of all my
locals. If one of them went off cable, all I'd need would be a
toothpick to get it. (And yes, I'm aware that your average toothpick
is a stunningly lousy antenna.)
Where it gets more interesting - and where I think the FCC's going
with this whole "significantly-viewed" mess - is if I want to watch
something on the WB, which has no local OTA affiliate in Rochester.
It's on Time Warner, on a "local" channel called "WRWB, WB16," which
obviously isn't going to get carriage on DirecTV or Dish. Or if I'm in
Elmira and I want to watch CBS, which has no local affiliate in
Elmira, but which serves the Elmira market via WBNG 12 from Binghamton
(and has done so for years.)
If WBNG's considered significantly-viewed in Chemung County (and it
is), that's all the clearance the dish companies need to add WBNG for
their Elmira customers, which I'd guess would be something both WBNG
and the dish folks want to have happen. (WBNG's been on cable in
Elmira since time began.) The new rules are also helpful in counties
that straddle markets. F'rinstance, I was in central Indiana last
month and spent a night in Peru (Indiana). They're officially in the
Indianapolis market, but they also get local news from the one and
only station in Lafayette, and they get the Fort Wayne stations, too.
Oh, and WNDU from South Bend, because you've gotta have ND football. I
would assume that if I were a satellite subscriber in Peru, all I
would get would be Indianapolis - and if I commute up to Fort Wayne
for work, that doesn't do me much good.
Where the system still needs work is my WB situation. I can get a very
nice signal from Buffalo's WNYO 49 on my rooftop yagi, but just
because *I* watch WNYO doesn't make it "significantly viewed." The
stopgap solution that DirecTV has come up with is to offer Miami's
WBZL or San Diego's KSWB, depending on time zone, to customers in
markets with no local full-power WB outlet. I'd just as soon have WNYO
in that situation, thanks.
The FCC's list is 30 years out of date, yes. But most of the cable
grandfatherings that are now in place already existed back then, while
most of the new stations that have signed on since are either already
well-accustomed to being limited to their designated Nielsen market,
or have already gone through the process of being designated as
"significantly-viewed" (as, for instance, my local Fox, WUHF 31, which
signed on in 1980 but is shown with a "+" sign on the FCC's list in a
number of counties near Rochester but outside the market, indicating
that it's been added to the FCC's list since 1972.) s (Scott Fybush,
ibid.)
IIRC KCOP-13 is Los Angeles' UPN. Didn't FOX buy it from Chris-Craft
or United TV? I can tell you for a fact that only one cable system in
metro Detroit had TVOntario (32 Windsor) on their system when I left
in '01. Apparently none have CBEFT-54.
It depends on which predominant audience watches the station or (even
knows it exists). TV Guide has done a bang-up job of NOT listing all
TV stations in most markets, thereby depriving viewers of
stations/shows they might be more attuned to watching (and I'm not
just talking about religious ones; A1TV & AIN affiliates for example).
I can also tell you that four (4) TV stations are purposely missing
from our Northern MI edition and/or the State Journal's TV Week
(27/31/49/64).
I tell you, if I wasn't so accustomed to flipping the dial, I wouldn't
know they are still rerunning Candid Camera (6 PM Sundays, PAX --
WPXD-31 has it, but WZPX-43 runs WB early at that hour). And that
other Saturday eve when PAX had that crime-drama movie on? 43 had a
basketball game on --- but 31 had the movie and Lansing probably
didn't know it was on. (We need another listings provider, badly.)
"How about the converse? If the only significantly viewed station in
my county is KTVZ, if I have satellite can they legally turn on all of
the out-of-market network stations for me?"
You mean like Portland's? Either that, or...perhaps you can get a
waiver for the Seattle or Los Angeles ones. Do you guys get KTLA at
all? Practically, though, they should allow you to decode whatever
(domestic) network stations in the next-closest market you need to
"round out" your selection. (I wonder if that includes Spanish-
language stations?)
Proving once again that TVG editors don't know much about actual TV
viewing in the first place, much less about constant changes of
channel lineups in local DMAs. I bet a bunch of WTFDAers (like myself
for example) can put together something much better (Keith K. Smith,
Lansing, MI, ibid.)
** U S A. KVDO Ch. 3 Salem Oregon --- They signed on the air in the
early 70s as an independent and "struggled" for several years. By the
late 1970s their owners put them up for sale and the station was
bought by Liberty Communications (KEZI ch. 9 Eugene and owner of
several cable companies including Bend Cable TV).
KEZI had the "brilliant" idea of running the station as a totally
slave Satellite which meant they we bring an 2nd ABC station to the
Portland market, KATU ch. 2 Portland, ABC, took legal action and
forced KEZI to blackout all ABC programing on KVDO which meant they
were going to incur additional costs to run the station so a short
time later they put the station up for sale.
OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING for years was only able to supply
programming to western Oregon. When KVDO came on the market the state
Legislature was asked to appropriate money to purchase it. The problem
was the KVDO converge area was already cover by the 2 OPB stations. At
almost the same time KTVR ch. 13 in La Grande was put on the market by
KTVB in Boise. KTVR had always been slave satellite of KTVB but with
the expansion of translators by KTVB into eastern Oregon the station
did not warrant continued expenses (KTVR had one time listed
translators in Yakima and the Tri-cities in Washington State).
The people of eastern Oregon thought it made more sense to buy KTVR
than KVDO but the state decided to buy KVDO. There was a general
uproar and one person cut the guy wires on KVDO's tower and put the
station off the air for a few weeks.
Eventually with all the public pressure the state purchased KTVR but
was still getting a lot of complaints about KVDO just being a
duplication of service so the state finally decided to apply to move
the station to Bend and that happened in the early 1980s. KVDO then
becoming KOAB.
An interesting side story: When I heard KEZI had sold KVDO to the
state I sent off a letter to see if I could get any of the station's
old letterheads, etc. A few days later I got a large envelope from OPB
officials at KVDO who told me all of KVDO items were already were gone
but they had a couple of months of KVDO's old mail so they sent it to
me! Apparently when KEZI decided to sell the station they longer had
anyone working at the KVDO studios in Salem so the mail just built up!
73 (Frank Aden, ID, Feb 10, WTFDA via DXLD)
** VANUATU. TECHNICIANS ANSWER RADIO VANUATU RECEPTION DILEMMA
Fred Vurobaravu - Vanuatu Daily Post Friday, February 11, 2005
http://www.news.vu/en/news/national/050211-technicians-repair-
radio.shtml
The management of the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation
has announced the resurrection of its short wave transmitter, which
was fired up 4 pm last Tuesday.
[``4 pm last Tuesday`` would be 0500 UT Feb 8, just an hour before
David Norcross in HI reported hearing 7260 in 5-025 --- gh]
The people around the country who receive Radio Vanuatu services
through the short wave frequency can now hear the station again on
7260 kHz.
Prime Minister and Minister responsible for media Ham Lini specially
acknowledged the commitment and dedication of Radio Vanuatu senior
technician Willie Daniel with the technical support of the consultant
Hendrick Kettner to overcome the defaulted radio transmission wave
link.
The transmitter went down during the week of Christmas. For seven
weeks VBTC technicians, led by Acting Technician Manager Daniel,
sweated to revive the transmitter.
Midway through January, Kettner was brought in to assist. At the same
time spare parts supplied by Radio Australia boosted their repair
efforts.
Mr Kettner said the problem was a series of faults in many areas of
the transmitter, which took them time to identify and rectify. He said
the final answer to the puzzle was located Tuesday morning. In the
afternoon it was fixed and at 4 pm the transmitter was successfully
fired up.
The management has decided to allow the transmitter to run for a few
weeks before work begins to fix the faulty component for switching
from the daytime frequency of 7260 KHz to the night time frequency of
3940 KHz.
[sic: it`s listed as 3945 in WRTH 2005 and elsewhere; or could a
change be in the offing, to 3940 perhaps with less interference? --gh]
For now listeners in some parts of the country will experience loss of
signal starting from 5 pm to 7 am the next day. But during the day,
the signal should be clear.
[Local time UT +11, so it`s scheduled to be on at 2000-0600 UT --- but
it`s usually reported after 0600! They may as well keep leaving the
`day` frequency on at night, indeed much better for us and surely of
some use inside Vanuatu too --- gh]
The prime minister's office also thanked Rod Newel for the provision
of the services of his company the Renerel Tech Ltd to VBTC when the
short wave transmission was down for the last few months.
Radio reception in the islands is heavily reliant on the transmitter
functioning well. The President of the Republic of Vanuatu Kalkot
Mataskelekele has made repeated calls to have the radio transmissions
in the islands reopened so that people can have access to news, info
and entertainment (via Mike Terry, dxldyg, Artie Bigley, DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED [non]. 1187.85 identified --- It is simply MOROCCO
program C from Casablanca 1 kW, identified by // 1044 kHz. My antenna
direction was misleading because I just nulled out BEL/D (Günter
Lorenz, Icom R75, Grahn magnetic loop, Currently near La Spezia,
Italy, MWDX yg via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. Yosemite Sam also heard here Feb 11: 2125 on 10500, and
stronger on 6500 repeating at 40 second intervals but not
synchronized, as usual. Also at 2310 recheck, 6500 was even better,
but some nearby SSB QRM and still audible on 10500 at 2323. Nothing
audible on 3700 at either time. Later around 0600, 3700 was audible.
The burst on 6500 comes right before the one on 10500. I should point
out that YS was previously traced to the Albuquerque NM area, but
purpose and source unknown (Glenn Hauser, Enid, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Heard here UT 2-12-05 from 0435 to 0500, Weak signal on both 10500 usb
and 6500 usb, repeating at 40 second intervals but not in parallel.
Switching to 3700 usb at 0455 revealed a much stronger signal, even
blasting through the CW traffic on that frequency, with a buzzing
noise, then "Varmint! Ima gonna blow ya ta smithereens!" every 40
seconds (John Beattie, Ventura, CA, Drake R8B, PAR EF-SWL, 50 foot
wire, MFJ 1026, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Yosemite Sam also heard here 2-12-05 from 1021-1030 on three of the
frequencies, none in parallel. Strong on 10500, very weak on 6500,
fair on 3700. Same pattern: Buzzing noise (data burst?), "Varmint..."
stuff, every 40 seconds (Larry Cunningham, Gahanna, Ohio (near
Columbus), Kenwood R5000 with indoor antenna, ibid.)
YS is using 10500, 6500, 4300 and 3700 (Steve Lare, Holland MI, ibid.)
Heard here at 1250 to 1255 UT on 4300 and 3700, USB and LSB. Sigs on
4300 peaking about S5 and 3700 barely audible due mostly to my noisy
computer. YS isn't using AM as I near as I can tell (Nate Bargmann,
N0NB, Marysville, KS, FT-920, MFJ-986, 75m Zepp @ 5m, DXLD)
Heard here again at 1529 UT Feb. 12 on 6500 and 10500. 6500 was poorer
here and very weak at tune in. As Glenn noted, 6500 and 10500 do not
seem to be in sync. The brief data burst before the voice transmission
was heard on 10500 but could not tell if it was there on 6500. Nothing
heard on 4300 or 3700. (Carl DeWhitt, KI5SF, Ponca City, OK, ibid.)
I was wondering about the so called "data burst"? Is there really data
being transmitted or is that just a figure of speech - data burst?
(Chuck Bolland, FL, ibid.) Good question. Someone needs to analyze it
(gh, DXLD)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PUBLICATIONS
++++++++++++
TV GUIDE CHANNEL LINEUPS
A TVG collector out of Dallas, Joe Isham, designed this page with
links to the respective editions' PDF line-ups on TVG`s website.
Check out: http://gridlockjoe.home.comcast.net/tvgtrack.htm
(Tim Ripley, Feb 11, WTFDA via DXLD)
DRM
+++
[MEXICO] ``´Unlike the lower DRM frequencies, it had a regular steady
fade cycle, which I doubted was propagationally caused.``
--- I think I already made such observations as well, but I did not
pay further attention.
´´Hybrid DRM/analog is an option, but it has rarely if ever been
used.´´
--- Indeed I am not aware of any hybrid test on shortwave so far, and
also of no other MW/LW site than Zehlendorf running hybrid mode (Kai
Ludwig, Germany, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM
+++++++++++++++++++++
RAILROAD TRACK ANTENNAS
Re railroad signaling: Insulated joints are necessary where small
voltage is used to detect track occupancy. Here in Europe this system
is considered obsolete and wheel counters being state of the art --
but they cost four times more than the small voltage system which we
for this reason still use in some new projects if track resistance
permits. Systems with audio frequencies work without insulated joints
and were quite popular in the past, but are not used for new
installations anymore. All this goes specifically for Germany of
course. And yes, one should better hesitate from connecting a
mediumwave transmitter to railroad tracks ... All the best, (Kai
Ludwig, Germany, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS
++++++++++++++++++++++++
BPL MAY BE DEAD IN NEBRASKA FOR FORESEEABLE FUTURE
According to comments heard on the Lincoln Amateur Radio Club net
(2100 local, 146.760 -), BPL may be dead in Nebraska for the
foreseeable future. LB 136 (apparently a bill permitting public
utilities in Nebraska to get into any broadband services) did not make
it out of committee.
LB 645 is a bill sponsored by the telcos that would prohibit the
public utilities from getting into the broadband business did make it
onto the Unicameral floor, as I (N0NB) understand it.
Another bill, LB 722, would permit the utilities to pursue broadband
services and several hams testified against it. More details may be
found at: http://www.arrl.org/sections/NE.html
In Nebraska the public utilities are publicly owned and controlled by
the state. This could be an interesting battle if the utilities
challenge the State's right to prohibit them something authorized by
the federal government. 73, de (Nate Bargmann, Wireless | Amateur
Radio Station N0NB, dxldyg via DXLD)
A JOINT STRATEGY
Two well known national Amateur Radio societies are joining forces to
fight the introduction of Broadband Over Powerline technology. The
New Zealand Amateur Radio Transmitters and the Wireless Institute of
Australia say that they are pooling their resources on the BPL issue
in the effort because problems involved in its introduction are
similar in both nations.
The NZART and the WIA say that they plan to work as a team in an
effort to achieve a positive outcome on this issue for Amateur Radio
operators in both countries. The New Zealand Amateur Radio
Transmitters has already produced a very informative webpage that
contains many links to the WIA and many other informative
information. For its part, the Wireless Institute of Australia has
added a link to the new NZART webpages via its BPL menu and links to
the very extensive ARRL BPL pages as well (WIA & NZART via WIA News
via ARNewsline February 11 via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD)
PROPAGATION
+++++++++++
THE 160 METER BAND
You would think that with the 160-meter band relatively close in
frequency to the 80-meter band that the two would exhibit very similar
propagation characteristics. Truth be told, they are worlds apart. The
160-meter band: an enigma shrouded in mystery, say Cary Oler of the
Solar Terrestrial Dispatch and Ted Kohen, N4XX.
The propagation characteristics of the 160-meter band (1800-2000 kHz)
have puzzled both amateur and professional communicators for decades.
While located not far below the 80 and 75 meter bands (3500-4000
kHz), predicting propagation on Topband, as it is affectionately
called, has been an exercise in futility, they say. For example, John
Devoldere, ON4UN, in his book Antennas and Techniques for Low-Band
DXing notes that… ``The more I have been active on 160, the more I am
convinced on how little we know about propagation on that band.``
Signals in the 160-meter band are most strongly affected by changes
in the electron density of the ionosphere`s D-region. During the day,
the D-region is strongly ionized, and so, it is the major source of
absorption on 160 meters. During the night, the density of the D-
layer drops dramatically (though it does not disappear completely);
this results in a corresponding drop in signal absorption. Small
increases in electron density at low frequencies produce large
changes in signal absorption. When conditions on the 160-meter band
are so good that you momentarily believe you are listening to a good
opening on the 20-meter band, what may in fact have produced these
extraordinary good conditions were unusually large depletions in
electron density in the D-region. Just what can cause such large
drops in D-layer electron density is still not well understood by the
ionospheric scientific community.
It is very interesting to note that 160-meter signal strengths are
very difficult to correlate with solar activity, assert Cohen and
Devoldere. The correlation between sunspot numbers and signal
strength is only about 5% as strong as the correlation on higher
frequencies, or often signal strengths of 160-meter signals
completely disregard sunspot numbers or solar flux levels.
A considerable number of DX openings on Topband over distances
greater than 4,000 km may owe their occurrence to a phenomenon known
as Signal Ducting. A ball thrown into a narrow tunnel will bounce
around the walls of the tunnel while maintaining its general
direction of travel. In essence, it is ``ducted`` through the tunnel.
Similarly, a radio signal that is ``shot`` into an ionospheric
``tunnel`` will duct between the walls of the tunnel until the walls
either disappear or become weak enough to permit the signal to break
through. The walls of an ionospheric tunnel are the edges of the
ionospheric layers, say Oler and Cohen.
The winter season is the right time for Topband DXing! (DX Editor:
Dimiter Petrov, LZ1AF, R. Bulgaria DX program Feb 11 via John Norfolk,
dxldyg via DXLD) This also applies to top end of the MWBC band -1700
THUNDERSTORM EFFECTS ON 144 MHz SPORADIC E PROPAGATION
Do thunderstorm create sporadic E propagation in VHF? Some say yes
and others say now. Now, an international team of radio amateurs has
studied this subject in detail by analyzing scientific results and
QSO data compiled during the 2004 sporadic E season.
In a detailed paper, DL1DBC, PE1NWL, DK5YA, EA6VQ, DL8HCZ and DF5AI
discuss a possible model of thunderstorm-triggered sporadic E
propagation on very high frequencies. The paper will appear in the
spring issue of the Dubus magazine. More about it and the topic is
on line at http://www.df5ai.net (DF5AI via ARNewsline February 11 via
John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) ###